Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to fluid storage tanks. In particular, embodiments disclosed herein relate to apparatus and methods for cleaning fluid storage tanks.
Fluid storage tanks are used the world over in refineries, terminals, and tank farms for storing oil products. The storage tanks are subjected to periodical cleaning operations due to sludge accumulation, inspection, and maintenance. Sludge accumulation occurs due to the slow sedimentation of high gravity petroleum products near or at the bottom of the fluid storage tanks, and may lead to various problems, including loss of operational capacity of the storage tanks, loss of working time, and/or acceleration of corrosion occurring within the storage tanks. Further, traditional cleaning systems often involve the manual removal of the accumulated sludge, which may also lead to various problems, including increased health and safety risks to the cleaning personnel, high volumes of sludge waste that may be disposed of, and prolonged shutdown times of the storage tanks.
Accordingly, an apparatus and method that may minimize the undesired effects from the traditional cleaning systems, such as by minimizing the volume of the final waste to be disposed of and/or minimizing the exposure of personnel to the interior of the storage tanks is described.